Result-Based Management framework officially launched   New tool to increase public sector efficiency   By Patrick Joubert   |22 March 2022

President Ramkalawan addressing the audience

Result-Based Management (RBM) framework, the transformation tool to ensure that processes, products and services contribute to the achievement of desired results, was officially launched yesterday afternoon in a ceremony held at the International Conference Centre (ICCS).

Present at the ceremony were President Wavel Ramkalawan; Vice-President Ahmed Afif; Speaker of National Assembly Roger Mancienne; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Seychelles, Rony Govinden; ministers; chief secretary of the Public Service Bureau, Shella Mohideen; principal secretaries, chief executives and other programme managers.

The objective of RBM is to increase public sector efficiency in order to create the fiscal space required to deliver national priorities, to enhance transparency in order to strengthen open and accessible government, to maximise public sector effectiveness in order to provide accessible high quality services and improve government performance and to develop a performance driven planning culture system instruments and tools so as to ensure that government delivers its mandate by achieving planned goal objectives and outcomes.

In launching the RBM, President Ramkalawan, who congratulated the leaders and office managers for their devotion and hard work, reminded them also that although the responsibility to be undertaken under the new transformation tool will be heavy, it will have to be done for the benefit of our children and the country in general.

“The time has arrived for us to make the shift from the situation when we say to people that ‘we are busy’, ‘we are in a meeting’, ‘I cannot take your call’, ‘it’s not possible’, among others, to now work in a smart fashion, with a strategic plan, for us to be able to deliver and achieve results,” President Ramkalawan said.

He noted that talking about RBM takes into account that all of us Seychellois would like to see something new happening, a new type of moral in our civil service and a new way of doing things to solve problems.

He further noted that we have to work as a Seychelles’ team and the time to work in silos is over, if we want to move forward. He called on them to be more responsible in the work that they do to create satisfaction among the public and he count on them to make it happen.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Minister for Finance, National Planning and Trade, Naadir Hassan, said that RBM is the tool that will bring about the transformation that our public service needs in order to bring about the development that our country requires to survive in the current socio-economic environment.

The minister reminded that since 2013, government has been implementing the RBM framework based on results and performance, in different phases.

He added that the RBM, which will be implemented across the board in government, shows the new administration’s commitment towards obtaining the best results in the public service.

Minister Hassan noted that in order for us to efficiently deal with eventualities in the form of a crisis, it is of paramount importance for us to strengthen the results focus across government to enhance public sector efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability with the ultimate objectives to enhance growth, economic diversification, and social inclusion across sectors.

“Our individual performance, the performance of our institutions is the performance of Seychelles. The people of Seychelles, our people are going to be the one to reap the benefits of the seeds being sown here today,” Minister Hassan said.

Minister Hassan remarked that a mentality that has hindered our progress has been the silo mentality – a mentality which has been so easy for many to adopt. In order to break this mentality, the full implementation of RBM will be planned according to each portfolio. This means that each portfolio will guide its departments and agencies in this process through strategic and budgetary planning, follow-up measures and performance evaluation. This will ensure the accountability of all civil servants no matter the post they occupy.

The transformation of the public sector will require our employees to be adequately trained and the training will be held at The Guy Morel Institute (TGMI) with the support of the ministry. The minister called on public servants to prepare themselves to be challenged and inspired.

There were also presentations on the perspective of RBM and its portfolio approach by the secretary of state MFEPT, Patrick Payet, and the principal secretary in the economic planning department, Elizabeth Agathine and on the success factors for institutionalisation of RBM and on its way forward by Mrs Mohideen.  

Photos by Joena Meme